AHS grad is finding his groove in big swim meets
Published 5:18 pm Friday, July 7, 2023
- Austin grad Logan Kelly warms up before swimming in the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships/International Teams Trials. Photos provided by Ryan Kelly
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Austin grad Logan Kelly is starting to get familiar with top competition, and he’s hungry for more.
The 2021 AHS grad recently put up a strong showing at the Phillips 66 USA National Championships/International Team Trials in Indianapolis last week.
Kelly finished 16th in the 200-meter breaststroke with a time of 2:16.14 and was 20th in the 50-meter breaststroke finals with a time of 28.32 seconds. Both of those times were personal records for Kelly.
He also took 26th in the 100-meter breaststroke preliminaries with a disqualification, but the would-be time was still a second faster than his previous personal best.
Austin grad Logan Kelly recently competed in the Phillips 66 USA Swimming National Championships/International Teams Trials in Indianapolis. Photos provided by Ryan Kelly
“I’m happy about my swims last week,” Kelly said. “My main drive to improve is setting new and higher goals. Whether that be a time I am trying to hit or a meet I am trying to qualify for. I always have something I am striving for.”
Kelly, who just finished his sophomore season at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, recently took 33rd in the 200-breaststroke with a time of 1:54.52 in the NCAA championships. After swimming in that meet, he felt much more comfortable at the Phillips 66 meet.
“At (NCAAs) I felt like a middle schooler at a high school meet, but it wasn’t that bad this time around though,” Kelly said. “I think as I do more of this caliber of meet the more comfortable I’ll get.”
Kelly has always been one of the top swimmers in the pool in almost every race he’s competed in since he was a youth, but he has stayed motivated. He’s now expanded his training efforts to up to 20 hours per work during his busy season.
He often works with sprints, aerobics and lifting.
“In the summer it has come down a bit so I can get a job,” Kelly said. “In peak training times, I’m in the pool at the start of the week with slower aerobic work and as the week progresses we get more intense swimming with longer rests.”
Kelly will now get a chance to rest up and recover before he prepares for the push of the next season, which begins in August. He’s going to focus on his diet, strong practices, and the next big meet.
“There are the 2024 Olympic trials coming up next summer, so that is lingering in the back of my head for the time being,” Kelly said.
